EYES OF THE NIGHT
by PessimisticSorcerer
Summary: Revenge is a terrible word, but not so for a young man and a terrifying beast ready to take it out on Camelot. When a young knight comes to the castle, and a hooded figure is seen lurking in the courtyard, Merlin's emotions are firmly put to the test.
1. PROLOGUE

**THE EYES OF THE NIGHT**

_I can't do this all alone, I'm completely incomplete,  
I can't struggle on alone, you made me strong when I was weak_

In an underground cavern far away from Camelot something stirred. It reared its' ugly head, saliva dripping from gleaming fangs and roared. The walls of the cave seemed to glimmer in fear, the warm glow of something up ahead flickering away to almost nothing. The beast had awoken in a terrible mood.

It flexed its' powerful muscles and shifted its' grey muzzle, torn and tattered, in the direction of the small light source. It was up ahead, floating in the middle of the air. _Like magic,_ it thought, and smiled a slimy smile. Its' eyes glowed red, yellow specks appearing, dancing from the strange glow.

"Who dares," it growled, the beast's voice hoarse and wary from months of silence. "Who dares," the monster repeated and the moving light ceased moving. "Who dares enter Kolan's lair?" The glow twitched in reply. "I could kill you with a single breath, you know."

"I-I know," came the answer. It was a man, and Kolan could tell from the way he spoke that he was trying to keep the fear from his voice. "I have come to ask for your help," and the light moved rapidly towards the great beast showing a young man, his dark green eyes set deep in his pale and sickly face, a mound of dirty blonde, flowing hair atop his head. "Sir Kolan."

The beast roared, not with anger but with laughter. "You have done you research, puny traveller."

"Your help," the man said, ignoring Kolan's jibe. "I need it, for revenge."

"Oh yes?" Kolan asked, raising its' eyebrows- if it, indeed, had any eyebrows. "And why would you want my help? The mere mention of my name would have most normal citizens of the great city running for the hills," hunching its' great shoulders, the beast leant forwards. The man could feel the stench and husk of Kolan's breath upon his face and had to do everything to stop himself from turning his elongated nose up. "Why are you treating me like an ally?"

The young man swallowed. "You are an ally. In the fight against the tyranny that rules this realm," he seemed to have found his voice, the waver and uncertainty now lost. "The Pendragons and their inhuman attitudes banished you from their realm when they realised what you would become. I know the tales, good sir, I know what happened."

Kolan shifted restlessly, its' eyelids fluttering, its' nose sniffing at the damp air. "If you know the tales, why are you down here?" he asked. "Do you not realise that I could kill you with one swipe of my hand." As if to show its' meaning, Kolan raised its' mighty arm.

"I do, and that is why I need your help."

Kolan lowered its' arm.

"I have vowed to myself I would take out revenge on Uther Pendragon. However powerful I may think I am, I am not as powerful as you, Sir Kolan. I know that you hate Camelot as much as the next man, possibly more, so there is no reason for you to deny me this request."

"And what," Kolan asked. "Shall I get in return?"

"When we have taken Camelot and destroyed the Pendragon name," the young man said. "We shall rule the kingdom together. People shall fear you, but because you are almighty. Because you are all powerful!"

The beast let out a hideous screech, rearing up onto its' hind legs and slamming its' forelegs into the ground causing the man to stagger backwards as even the floor of the cavern seemed to shake with victory.

"Young man," Kolan cried over the echoes of his own beating paws. "You have my companionship upon this perilous but awesome quest. We shall rule Camelot with an iron fist and bring sorcery back to the empire. But," he bowed his head towards his visitor. "I have heard many tales of travellers passing through these caves that the residents of Camelot are well equipped against magical beasts. I, myself, have fought with such weapons and know that, however powerful you and I are, we may fall at the hands of Arthur Pendragon. I know that he is an almighty warrior and that, it seems, there is some sort of guardian angel overlooking him."

The young man's eyes seemed to glimmer; the hope of defeating the Pendragons was something he had thought about ever since he was a young boy. "Do not worry, Sir Kolan. I have the perfect solution," and from the pocket in his long and bedraggled coat, he extracted a large vile of a viscous purple liquid.

Kolan's face stretched into a hideous smile. "You are ingenious young man. I fear we may work well together in this task. What pray tell is your name?"

The man's face twisted into a smile, almost as terrifying as that of the beast; toothy but full of malice and revenge. "My name," he said. "Is Alvarr."

And many miles away in a small room at the back of the physician's chambers, a young boy's dreams turned to horrific nightmares of beasts and demons, yet still he was unaware of the terrible danger soon to befall Camelot and the horrific ways in which his emotions and loyalties would be strained further than they ever had before.

"Sleep well, _Emrys_," Alvarr hissed, his maniacal laugh filling the cave. "For it may be the last dream you ever have."

_ - Sonic Syndicate, Red Eyed Friend_


	2. CHAPTER 1 BLACK & BLUE

_I'm not a gangster tonight, don't want to be a bad guy  
I'm just a loner baby, and now you're gotten in my way_

"Ah, I see you're awake then?" Gaius noted as Merlin the warlock descended the stairs from his bedroom, rubbing his eye with one hand and stretching with the other. He yawned loudly and nodded before slumping into a chair and letting his head fall back. "And in as good a mood as you usually are this early, I see."

A small smile spread across the young boy's face. "You could say that," he admitted. "I don't know why Arthur wanted to get me up at the crack of dawn anyway. It's only training; he usually lets me have at least a few more hours of sleep. Otherwise he'll start complaining that I look like I've just dropped out of bed.

"Perhaps," the physician said, placing a bowl of what looked like mud in front of his nephew and moved off with a vial of gold potion to a nearby bench and sat down. "This is a special sort of training?"  
"How _special _can Arthur's training get?" Merlin raised his head and swivelled on his chair to face Gaius. "You know the other day he made a servant girl carve a dragon's head out of wood and made me dance around in it," he swirled his finger in the air to show dancing. "And tried to hit me. Then he stopped me, he told me I wasn't _realistic _enough, and made me go and clean his horses out as punishment!"

The physician couldn't help but laugh heartily.

"It's not funny," the warlock protested childishly. "I thought I made quite a good monster."

There was a knock from the door and Merlin was just about to tuck into his mud-looking breakfast when the crowned Prince of Camelot waltzed in. Merlin dropped his spoon and let a small sigh escape his lips.

"Merlin!" Arthur cried, placing his hands on his hips and reminding the young manservant of his mother when he'd forgotten to make his bed. "I thought I'd told you to get ready by now! Why aren't you dressed?" He looked down and sneered a little at Merlin's grubby bed clothes. He received a look of disdain in reply. "Look, this is important training! I need you down there to assess the new candidates for knighthood we have. I don't want you embarrassing me by turning up half-asleep in your bed clothes."

"But I thought the knights weren't supposed to arrive for a few weeks," Merlin frowned. "So why are they so early?"

Arthur leant across the table and clouted Merlin hard about the back of the head.

"Ow!" he cried. "What was that for?"

"For being such an idiot _Mer_lin!" the prince cried. "I'm _obviously _making an exception here, aren't I? The young knight in question is Sir Leon's brother."

Merlin turned to face Gaius and, pulling a face, mouthed '_How is that __**obvious**__?_'

"So," Arthur clapped his hands together for Merlin's attention. "I shall go down to the training ground and get everything prepared. _You Mer_lin," he danced his hands vaguely about Merlin's person. "Go and get dressed or something. Be quick about it." He then spun on his heels - Merlin rolling his eyes dramatically behind his back- and moved towards the door. "Oh!" he cried and quickly turned back to his manservant. "And don't forget to bring that dragon mask. It may come in handy," and with a boyish grin, Arthur was gone.

Merlin groaned loudly and managed to plant his forehead in his muddy breakfast in annoyance.

Merlin made his way to the training grounds a good half an hour after his visit from Arthur, just out of spite. A large carved dragon's head was placed precariously under his arm and it received many bouts of attention and occasional sniggers from passers-by. By the time the manservant had made it down to the grounds there seemed to be a fight already taking place. Merlin quickly moved to the sidelines to watch, a large crowd of knights and townsfolk already encircling the sandy pit where the fighters stood.

Both clad in chainmail, one slightly more soiled than the other, the knights danced around each other, the sand whipping whipped up by their feet. One knight, large and powerful shadowed over the other who was small and thin, but surprisingly nimble. He would weave behind the taller knight and land multiple blows with his wooden sword (a practice method that Arthur would always recommend- knights would show their willing and strength and fight with a false sword for one round and then a real one for the other). Both had full helmets covering their heads so Merlin could not tell which one was from Camelot's guard and which was the outsider.

A large gong behind them sounded and the fighting stopped. The smaller knight stepped backwards from the larger one, who immediately threw his sword down to the floor and stalked from the sandy pit. Arthur, who Merlin had spotted watching eagerly from the sidelines, moved away to speak to the winning knight.

"Good, isn't he?" came a voice from behind him, and Merlin struggled to retain his grip on the mask as Sir Leon came into view, smiling and regarding Merlin with the same bemused expression he always did.

"Oh, oh, yes!" the young manservant nodded vigorously. "I never knew you had a brother!"

"Oh yes, he's almost as good as me," Leon's face twisted into a mischievous grin. "And it looks like Arthur's taken a shine to him!" Merlin peered through the dispersing crowd of people and saw Arthur patting the young knight hard on the back as he walked away, causing him to fall forwards a little with the force.

"And now," Merlin told Sir Leon. "He has to fight Arthur."

"I know," Leon looked uncomfortable. "But my brother _is_ very good, I'm sure he'll be able to land three successful hits."

"Yeah," the warlock said reassuringly. "I'm sure he will."

Even more people were beginning to flock around the pit, forgetting the tasks they had set out to do and now watching the young wannabe knight in the centre leaping from one foot to the other as a servant went over to him and handed him a worn Pendragon shield. Small children were whooping and cheering as Arthur, slipping a helmet onto his own head, came onto the stage. Merlin felt Leon tense beside him.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," he told him. "Arthur wouldn't do anything rash."

Leon just raised an eyebrow and Merlin shrugged his shoulders with a smile that said '_yes-I-do-remember-that-incident -last-year'._

"This challenge," Arthur began loudly, and every mouth in the arena was suddenly closed tight. "Is to prove how worthy our newcomer is. If he can land three successful blows," he raised three fingers. "Then he will become a knight. If he cannot then he goes home empty handed." He moved himself into a battle stance as did the smaller outsider and the fight began.

Swords clashed against each other, the rub of metal on metal and the pang of the weapon on the shield was all that filled the air. The young novice, quick and agile, managed to block and dodge many of Arthur's blows, and Merlin couldn't help but be impressed by his strength and parrying of the prince's sword. And then a hit came on the side of Arthur's chest. The crowned prince's face, contorted in sudden anger, leapt forwards towards the knight and his sword missed him by an inch as he fell to the floor, rolling in the sand. Another blow came quickly and Merlin could see that Arthur was beginning to get agitated. He had never been hit so many times in such a short period of time.

Peeling his eyes away from the scene, Merlin looked up at Leon, whose face had spread into a wide grin and whose eyes were following his brother with every move he made.

Arthur set out with his foot, trapping the young knight's sword underneath and pushed his shield hard into the outsider's face. His helmet flew off and Arthur, seemingly preoccupied with winning, slammed into the young man's face again, sending him falling to the floor.

The crowd gasped.

Merlin squinted his eyes against the sun to try and see what the prince had done to the man's face but what he saw shocked him even more. The knight stood, grasping his sword from under Arthur's now limp foot, but he was not a man. A young girl barely seventeen, her mouth bloodied and her eyes black and blue took her gaze away from her opponent for a brief second to the stunned faces that gaped at her. Her hair, from what Merlin could see, was tied up into two long and winding pony tails held firm by large red ribbons and snaked their way down her back, the rest of her locks floating gently across her forehead.

Arthur was standing deathly still.

"Come on," she cried, spitting blood. "Why aren't you fighting? I've got but one more blow to land!"

She seemed to panic, staring about the crowd as they stood, watching her and the silent prince until her eyes rested on her brother, Sir Leon. Her face was a picture of pure terror, her eyes seeming to well up with tears.

"No," Arthur hissed, removing his helmet and throwing it to the floor. "You cannot become a knight."

"Because I am a woman?" she protested. "You were fine with fighting against me a moment ago when you thought I was a man."

"Women," Arthur began, turning his head away, almost unable to view the sight he saw in front of him. "Are not permitted to become knights. Your _brother _should have known that when he put you forward."

Sir Leon, powerless to stand and watch anymore parted the crowd in front of him and stepped into the arena. "I did know this rule, sire. But I believed that the Camelot knights would benefit from having such a great fighter on their side."

Arthur turned to Leon, his face now a picture of rage and, Merlin had to admit, it even frightened him a little.

"You know the rules, Leon," he cried. "You have put this _girl _up for a knighthood for what? Did you not know what would happen when she was revealed to be exactly that, a _girl_?"

Leon said nothing.

"I will find some suitable punishment for you later," Arthur told him sternly before turning back to the girl. "And you, there is no way that a woman could become a knight of Camelot. You've not only wasted my time but you have wasted your own. Please leave," and with one last violent look about the pit, he stormed from the arena. The girl, her lip quivering, threw her sword down onto the sand and ran off in the other direction, pushing her way through the stunned crowd.

_ - Scissor Sisters, I Can't Decide_


	3. CHAPTER 2 IT'S RUDE TO HIT A GIRL

_I want your drama, the touch of your hand  
I want your leather-studded kiss in the sand  
I want your love_

"I can't believe it was a girl after all," Merlin told Gaius as they moved through the hustle and bustle of the courtyard towards the training grounds. The warlock had rushed to Gaius' chambers straight after the fight to inform him of everything that had happened and the physician had demanded they visit the young girl immediately so that he could tend to her wounds.

"Well, Merlin, you know that Camelot does not allow female knights and that law has been in place ever since the knight's code was made. I don't know _what _Sir Leon was thinking when he told his sister to fight."

"No," Merlin admitted, shaking his head. "I don't either. But you should have seen Arthur, he was furious. I've never seen him so angry."

Gaius raised his eyebrows; "He feels guilty that he had to deny a good knight a knighthood. From what you've told me it is obvious that this girl is powerful, if she was able to land two successive blows."

"And she did it faster than I've ever seen any knight do before."

The old physician nodded his head. "Arthur's truly angry, but not at the girl."

"What at then?" Merlin asked.

"The knight's code. I've seen this sort of thing happen before. Females disguising themselves as men to try and bypass the knight's code, but they are always found out. The allure of the male company is usually too much for them."

The manservant pulled a face and Gaius chuckled.

As they approached the sandy arena Merlin caught sight of Arthur. He was sitting on a bench beside a large tent, his hand rested under his chin, staring at a rock.

"I guess you're right," he admitted. "He does feel bad for not letting Sir Leon's sister join up."

Gaius entered the tent to their left and Merlin, after telling himself that he would go and talk to Arthur later, slipped in behind him. Sir Leon was no where to be seen, but his sister was sitting at the back of the tent, hugging her legs and gazing at the ground. The wound on her jaw was still bleeding, slowly dripping on the floor but by her face Merlin could tell that she hadn't even noticed.

The physician bent down beside her.

"I'm the court physician," he told her. "I've come to treat your wounds."

"Thank you," the girl said and let her head fall into Gaius' hand as he held it over to one side to wipe away some of the blood. Her eyes fell on Merlin. "What are you doing?" she asked but there was no malice in her voice, just genuine interest.

"I'm here to help Gaius," Merlin offered.

"Oh," the girl said and fell silent once more.

The tent opening behind the manservant flew open and Sir Leon came flying in.

"Are you okay?" he asked his sister, falling to his knees in front of her and watching Gaius apply a strange yellow liquid to her face. "You look really bad."

"I've put something on it to stop the bleeding," Gaius told Leon's sister. "Although I'm sure that there will be some scarring, it may never fade away."

She looked to Gaius with large, battered eyes. "It's fine. Thank you." And then she got to her feet.

"You mustn't stand," Leon protested but his sister quickly batted away his hands that tried to force her down. "You are injured, you should rest here."

"No," she spat. "I'm not staying in Camelot. I'm leaving."

"Robin," her brother let his arms drop to his sides. "You can't leave."

"Well I am," Robin flung her arms in the air. "If I can't become a knight of Camelot then there's no reason for me to stay here. You'll be fine on your own, all I've done is hinder you," she moved swiftly passed her brother and, just before she left the tent she stopped and gazed at Merlin, a strange expression on her face. And then she was gone.

Arthur had been striking the same rock with the same stick for the past half an hour. Merlin had been watching him.

"I can feel your eyes boring into me you know, _Mer_lin," he called over his shoulder and the young warlock jumped with surprise. "You'd make an awful knight."

"Good job _you'd _never let me in then, isn't it?" Merlin told him, sitting on the bench next to the prince.

"I could have let her in though," he jabbed the rock a little harder and ended up breaking the stick. "If it wasn't for the knight's code, we would have an amazing knight on our side and the fight against magic would've been a lot easier."

_'The fight against magic,'_ Merlin sighed inwardly. _'Why does everything you do come down to 'the fight against magic'?'_

"Camelot's still got you," Merlin tried to reassuring Arthur. "You're the best fighter out there."

Arthur laughed. "Is that meant to be a compliment Merlin? I didn't know you knew how to flatter!"

"I--" Merlin blushed. "W-well, I just didn't want you to be moping around the castle all day. You're such a bore when you're miserable."

"Gee, thanks," the prince laughed a little. "Haven't you got something to clean, _Mer_lin?"

It then occurred to Merlin that he did, indeed, have something to clean. Arthur's armour was waiting for him - muddy after yesterday's training - in a large sack in the corner of his room.

"Yes, sire," he groaned and got to his feet. "I'll go and do it now." Rolling his eyes dramatically, Merlin set off for the castle, but was stopped by Arthur calling his name. He turned around.

"Don't forget this," Arthur cried, throwing him the heavy dragon's mask he had tried to ditch by the water pump on his way to see Gaius. "That was hand made, someone put a lot of effort into that! Oh, and don't forget to practice your roars," as if to provoke Merlin he let out a sarcastic roar of his own.

"Thank you, _sire_," Merlin spat back, shaking his head and stalking off as Arthur, seemingly forgotten about that morning's events, howled with laughter and proceeded to fall backwards from the bench he was sitting on.

Merlin wandered through the courtyard making sure he took as long as he possibly could to get back to his room. He didn't particularly want to be confronted with that muddy pile of armour and the day was so lovely he felt that it deserved to be admired outside rather than through a window. The news of the fight that morning had spread like wildfire and it seemed that everyone was intrigued as to who the young girl was and where she had suddenly disappeared to.

"I thought Sir Leon had sense," Merlin had overheard one old woman telling another. "He is a knight of Camelot, he knows the knight's code better than anyone and yet he gave his sister false hope. It's despicable."

"Shush," the other lady told her. "Someone might hear."

Merlin, in some ways, agreed with what the gossiper was saying. However much he liked Sir Leon, it was cruel of him to put his young sister up for the trails when he knew that she wouldn't be accepted. He had explained to them after she had left that, once she would have been accepted, they would have cut her hair and made her manlier so that no one would suspect her. A fair plan, Merlin had thought, but it had blown up in their face and the two that had been most hurt were Robin and Arthur. Leon had not only put his sister's life and happiness on the line, but he had severely damaged the prince's moral compass. Merlin could just imagine Arthur confronting Uther on the matter of women and knights and getting struck down. He shuddered; he wouldn't be able to protect him from his own father. No amount of magic could help him there.

Crossing across to the steps leading up to the large wooden doors of Camelot castle, Merlin had decided that he'd had enough of hearing people gossiping about Robin and Leon and would rather clean Arthur's muddy armour than spend another second more outside. He turned to stare out across the courtyard, taking in the summer sunshine one last time before he went inside and his eyes caught on something. A man with a dark, flowing hood was standing over the water pump, something purple and gleaming flowing from his outstretched hand. Merlin couldn't blink. He continued to stare. The man, obviously feeling the warlock's powerful gaze snapped his head in the direction of the doors. Merlin gasped. It was Alvarr, his eyes flashing menacingly, his tongue licking manically at his lips. Merlin blinked and Alvarr was gone. He was now staring at the space where he had been a few moments ago, small voice in his head telling him that he was going mad.

"Perhaps I am," he told himself, shaking his head vigorously before, with one fleeting look back at the water pump, Merlin disappeared from view.

_Lady Gaga, Bad Romance_


	4. CHAPTER 3 BATTLE OF THE SEXES

_All the right friends in all the right places (so yeah, we're going down)  
They got all the right moves in all the right places (so yeah, we're going down)_

"Are we prepared?" Alvarr called behind him to Kolan. The great beast huffed, this boy had no faith.

"You, my dear boy are the one that poisoned the water supply. You are the only one that knows whether we are prepared or not."

"Right," the young man nodded firmly. "Then we are. I made sure of it. This time tomorrow we shall be in Camelot and there will be no one there to stop us." He let a wicked smile cross his face.

The light from the torch flickered dangerously, casting menacing shadows upon the cavern walls. Alvarr bent down, unable to see too clearly with the fading glow, and began to repack a small travelling satchel.

Kolan roared. "And the revenge shall be sweet. Too long I have waited to pay back the misery and hatred handed to me by the Pendragons."

"Now both of us shall feel the knife as it pierces the tyranny of this kingdom," he raised his fist in triumph. "Together we shall kill the ones that rule this empire with a diseased and disgusting fist."

The beast stamped its' enormous paws on the ground in front of it and shook its' head with glee.

"For sorcery," Alvarr cried.

"For sorcery!"

"Merlin!" came the cry from the other end of the corridor. It was Gwen. Merlin spun on his heels but continued to walk backwards.

"Gwen," the manservant replied with a little smile.

Guinevere trotted up to Merlin with an astonished look upon her face. "Is it true that a woman was trying to secure herself a knighthood?"

Merlin rolled his eyes, he was almost sick of hearing about the news. It had been construed so much, like Chinese Whispers; even now Gwen had probably received the wrong end of a very dirty stick.

"She was hardly a woman," the young boy admitted. "She wasn't even seventeen, and she was Sir Leon's sister."

Gwen placed a hand over her mouth.

"But that's amazing!" she cried. "Was she accepted? Did Arthur allow her to become one of the knights?"

Merlin harrumphed. "Of course not. You know the knight's code, Gwen. Women are not allowed to become knights."

"But that's unfair! I heard that she was one of the best fighters to enter Camelot in an age!"

"She was brilliant, but there was nothing Arthur could do. He makes sure that all other knights keep to the code, he can't just go and break it himself."

Gwen made a noise and let her face drop.

"Where is she now? Lady Morgana wanted to meet her. She was impressed by what she had heard and is eager to give her congratulations for being such a good fighter."

Merlin looked down. "She left after the fight. Gaius treated her wounds and then she just went. To be honest, if I was her, I'd have left too. She looked so sad."

Footsteps clattered around the small corridor and Merlin and Gwen both looked up as Morgana came flowing into view, a look of determination on her face. "Is it true then?" she asked Merlin when she reached them. "That a woman is now a knight of Camelot?"

"No," Merlin sighed. "No, I wish it were so that people would not think so ill of Arthur. He knocked her helmet off in combat and refused to fight her."

"That's unbelievable!" Morgana cried. "I'm going to go and have words with him, he can't be that _blind_!" She turned to go but Merlin leapt forwards, placing a hand on her arm.

"He feels _really _bad about what he had to do. The knight's code and everything. I was telling Gwen, he can't just go breaking it after he's preached the good ways to be a knight for so long. I spoke to him; he's truly upset about this."

Merlin let his hand drop to his side and Morgana huffed, but didn't move.

"Fine," she said after a moment's pause. "But if something big and deadly attacks Camelot any time soon, Arthur will regret not having her on our side," and wish a swish of her dress, Morgana had stalked back along and corridor and out of sight.

"She really wanted that, didn't she?" Merlin asked Gwen.

"I only know that a few women have already tried to become knights and that all of them have failed. I'm not sure whether Morgana knew beforehand that there was a female trying out, but she believes that women are just as good as men," she gave a small shrug. "I'd better go and see how she's doing."

Gwen gave Merlin a reassuring smile and trotted along the corridor after her mistress.

Merlin couldn't help but shake his head, wishing that he could have done something to help Robin get a knighthood, like he had done for Lancelot (even though Lancelot eventually turned Uther's offer down, which Merlin had never really understood).

He continued up a flight of stairs, ambled along several corridors walking into many people, and eventually toppled into Gaius' chambers, his head buzzing with questions and thoughts.

"Are you okay?" he barely heard his uncle ask as he started to descend the stairs to his room.

"Muh?" Merlin turned around and stared at Gaius, blinking several times to try and rid the thoughts from his mind.

"I said," Gaius said. "Are you okay? Evidentially you are not."

"Oh," Merlin moaned. "I've just been thinking a little too hard about Robin."

Gaius raised a quizzical eyebrow and motion for Merlin to sit down. He did as instructed, Gaius taking a seat across the table from him and placing his elbows on it, fingers together.

"It's just that," the warlock began. "I can't help but think that the knight's code is unfair. She proved how good she was, why can't the knight of Camelot just accept her?"

"Well," Gaius began. "Long ago, when the knight's code was formed, women were seen as even weaker. A woman's place is in the kitchen, and as you know, people still think that today. A woman could not _fight_, it was against human nature. Men never wanted the women to be stronger than they were. Besides, hitting a woman just isn't right."

"Arthur did," Merlin protested.

"Without realising," the physician noted and Merlin nodded reluctantly. "He's probably cursing himself as we speak."

The young manservant shrugged him shoulders but couldn't help but smile. "I guess it's not my place to worry," he said. "I only met her today!"

"Exactly," Gaius nodded. "And besides, she left but you've still got Arthur to look after. He's taken a big hit today, and you'll have to be there to nurse him back to strength."

"Oh, _great_," Merlin droned. "I'm going to go upstairs now and polish Arthur's armour and think about the good times I have ahead." He got to his feet as Gaius started to chuckle.

"Oh, and Gaius," he quickly added.

"Yes?"

"I--" Merlin started. Should he tell him about what he had seen at the watering pump earlier? Alvarr bending over the water with that purple potion. Had he been poisoning the water supply? But when he blinked he had gone. Perhaps it had all been a trick of the eye, Merlin was tired after all.

"Yes," Gaius pushed. "What is it, Merlin?"

"Oh," Merlin tried to laugh. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"Okay then, well, once you're done just let me know and I'll get your dinner ready."

"Thank you, Gaius," Merlin said and descended the stairs to his room. Gaius remained at the table, his fingers rested under his nose, a worried expression in his eyes. Merlin was hiding something from him and, someway, somehow, he was going to find out what.

_One Republic, All The Right Moves_


	5. CHAPTER 4 BRIGHT LIGHTS & SHADOWS

_Who's cooking monsters in the kitchen?_

_Who keeps a knife tucked in their garter?_

The warm, stifling summer air caught in Merlin's lungs as he sat upon the side of his bed, staring at the opposite wall. The window was open, the sounds of birds cawing in the distance, the clopping of horses on the cobbles outside, travellers making midnight exchanges, men falling from the tavern doors, the sounds of their laughter spilling from drunken mouths; all of these floated into Merlin's ears, yet he heard none of them. All he could think about was the menacing face of Alvarr that he had seen over the water pump that afternoon. It had looked at him; eyes sparkling with vicious revenge. Merlin knew that something was gravely wrong.

Gaius came up a few moments after that to inform Merlin he was going to bed.

"If you need anything," his uncle told him. "Don't hesitate to wake me up."

"I'm fine," Merlin lied. "Sleep well."

That had been a few hours ago, now it was midnight and Merlin's eyes were sagging slightly but he had no intention of sleeping.

Slipping through his bedroom door he trotted down the stairs and quickly crossed the physician's chambers. He managed to reach the door without making any noise, perhaps a first, but then happened to knock a vial of what looked like quite important potion onto the floor. Merlin's eyes shot up to Gaius' sleeping form that gave an agitated snort before turning over and continuing to snore. The warlock let out a huge sigh of relief and muttered a few words under his breath. The vial seemed to reassemble itself in the air, the liquid forming into a ball as the chunks of glass connected together. In moments it was just as it was and Merlin quickly set it upon the side once more. He could be so clumsy at times.

Walking through the corridors of Camelot as night was something that Merlin had grown accustomed to. He would usually be sneaking out to stop one of his friends far outside of the castle's walls as they rode to, probably, certain death. Tonight, however, Merlin's quest was much closer to home.

The cave down to the water supply below the castle was pitch black, not a single torch that was lining the damp walls was lit. Merlin picked one out of its' metal casing and raised a hand to it.

"_Eoch bora_," he whispered, his eyes flashing golden and flames sprung to life atop the torch. Descending the stairs quickly, Merlin found himself in the large tunnels leading to Camelot's main water supply. The air was thick with droplets of water due to the immense heat of the summer and within moments Merlin was soaked to the bone. The tunnel he rushed through was damp and dripping, the walls seemingly rippling with life, completely different from when he, Arthur and Morgana had been down their last. The Afanc that they had gone down to face hadn't been a powerful foe, but Merlin had been so close to revealing his magic and he didn't believe that Arthur would have kept it a secret. They had only known each other a short while. Now, however, it could be a different case, and Merlin had run that thought through his mind several times.

The small inlet where Merlin could see the waves of the water reflected on the ceiling came into view around the next corner. Peering through the darkness, Merlin could not see anything out of the ordinary, but - he reminded himself - nothing had seemed strange when he and Gaius had investigated that strange water-born disease cause by the Afanc.

Approaching the water's edge, Merlin placed his hands on the cold stone basin and leant over. The only thing he could see was his own wavering reflection, its' face contorted in a pained expression, dark marks under each eye. He quickly tried to rub them away, snorting with disappointment at the potion-free water.

Then, something caught his attention. He watched in awe as a small purple bubble rose to the surface of the water and burst. Just one, but Merlin had seen it. Purple bubbles were not natural in water and this was a sure sign that something was dreadfully wrong with it. The warlock spun on his heels, the flame wavering in the damp, and sprinted for the exit. Perhaps he couldn't let anyone know that night, but tomorrow he would tell Gaius immediately. Inwardly, at least, Merlin was grinning.

The light from the torch disappeared around a corner and the water was left to ripple away in darkness. Another purple bubble rose to the surface, glowing mystically and popping into nothing. Then, a little further back, another bubbled up. And then another. Soon the pool of water was fizzing horribly, blazing in an eerie purple light which was shining from just below the meniscus.

A maniacal laughter filled the cavern momentarily, as if it had been blown in there by the wind- but there was none. It quickly died away and the only noise present was that of the effervescent water and the purple bubbles bursting more and more rapidly.

"Merlin!" the voice cried through the door, a loud hammering sound echoing around the room.

"Muh?" Merlin asked through his pillow. "Whuus zerr?"

The door was blasted open and the warlock shot up as Arthur came bounding into the room.

"Do you not knock?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head and yawning. "The darkness outside showed that it was still night time.

"I was," Arthur panted. "I knocked five times!"

"Oh."

Arthur flung his arms in the air. "No, that's not the point. There's a monster, in the forest. We've heard reports that a man has transformed into a beast. He's killing people as we speak. Get dressed quickly then go and get my sword. I'm gathering the knights together, meet us in the courtyard as soon as you can," and with that the prince ran back down into Gaius' chambers.

Merlin blinked. Had that really just happened?

After quickly dressing himself (so fast that Merlin had managed to put his shirt on back to front and almost forget his neckerchief) Merlin had run down to the armoury, grabbed Arthur's sword and then sprinted all the way back up to the courtyard. As soon as he set foot on the cobbles he could immediately tell that there was some great disaster somewhere. Knights were rushing to and fro, clambering onto horses and restraining savage dogs, chinking swords into holsters and fitting helmets upon their heads. Merlin spotted Arthur at the head of the convoy, a lone horse standing next to his own, pattering its' hooves on the ground nervously. Running up to the prince, Merlin handed him the sword and quickly mounted the horse. Arthur shot him a smile.

"Move out!" he called and the knights, who previously had been rushing around, leapt onto their horses and galloped from the courtyard after Merlin and Arthur.

The screams and cries of terror were the first thing that alerted Merlin to the terrible danger that they had suddenly been thrust into. The outskirts of the town was a throng of people running for their lives from the edge of the forest. Even though it was the early hours of the morning the street seemed packed full of terrified and shocked people, even if the presence of their crowned prince had sent a ripple of hope through the crowd.

Arthur and Merlin dismounted, and the rest of the knights soon followed suit.

"What d'you think it is?" the warlock asked his master as they squeezed through the men, women and children trying to run for their lives.

"I don't know," Arthur grimaced. "We only had early reports that there was _something _in the forest attacking the villages. Size, shape, height, length - we just don't know."

Merlin's stomach clenched. If they didn't know what they were up against then they were at a disadvantage. He hadn't been able to look in his spell book to see if there were any certain spells that could ward the creature away, and Gaius hadn't had time to prepare any antidotes, or warn Merlin of the consequences of it biting or scratching them. They were completely in the dark. Literally.

The forest stretched out in front of them, the last few stragglers slipping through the trees beside them.

"It could be anywhere!" Arthur exclaimed peering through the dense forestation.

A loud and piercing screech sounded from the parties' right and people began to scream and shout.

"Or it could be right there," Merlin offered.

"Let's go!" the prince cried, setting off at high speed towards the sound of the noise.

_- Starlight Mints, Eyes of the Night_


	6. CHAPTER 5 DANCE WITH THE DEVIL

_Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight  
Don't you dare look at him in the eye, as we dance with the devil tonight_

The screaming had stopped. The people had escaped from the beast and now the knights of Camelot would have to stop it, or die trying.

Arthur and Merlin tore thought the leaves, the knights close in step, flashes of dark purple and red all they could see in front of them.

"What _is _it?" Arthur asked himself out loud.

Merlin had never seen anything like it, even if they could only catch glimpses. Large ram-like horns, a long serpent tail and gleaming white fangs. Nothing Gaius had ever told him about had looked like this.

The trees began to thin out and within moments they had come to a large clearing in the middle of the forest. Just ahead of them the monster had stopped and was stooping low, watching them with large, yellow eyes.

Merlin reeled backwards.

It looked like a man, it had the height and size of a normal human male but it was a dark purple, slimy and seemed to ripple in the moonlight. It hissed as the knights began to encircle it, eyes flitting from one man to the other. Merlin and Arthur stood side by side, right in front of the beast.

_This used to be a man_, Merlin thought. _How did he become such a monster?_

A few spots of rain landed on the top of Merlin's head, he glanced upwards and within a few moments a summer rain shower had started. The creature howled in agitation at the water, shaking its' silky, slimy skin and readying for attack.

Arthur raised his shield a little higher.

Then, the creature ran at the knight closest to it, whipping out with long, sharp claws and tearing at the Pendragon shield he was holding. It didn't give but the creature's nails stuck fast and ended up pulling the shield from the knight's hands. He cried out in terror and fell backwards over a nearby tree stump.

Seemingly confused by the sudden noise, the beast freed itself from its' mistake and tried to attack another knight.

"What are we going to do?" Merlin asked Arthur. They were both soaked to the bone and Merlin was having to blink constantly through his sodden hair.

"Defeat it of course," Arthur tried to sound brave. "I've dealt with worse things, you know that!"

Merlin glanced back at the purple attacker as it leapt sideways out of the way of a powerful sword swing.

"But it's so agile."

"Look, Merlin," the prince raised his eyebrow. "Leave the fighting to us." And with a surly smile, he ran forwards at the beast, shouting as he tried to hit it with a swing to the back.

Merlin began to panic. He knew spells that would easily exterminate this creature but he couldn't perform it in front of Arthur or the other knights. It was the moral dilemma that he had been trying to work out in his head since he had started coming out on the monster hunts with Arthur and now it was being put to the test. The warlock shook his head firmly. He'd just have to let Arthur defeat it without his help.

Merlin took a step backwards.

That was the incentive the creature needed. With lightning fast movement it shot away from the knights that were trying to trap it, eyes glinting, pupils dilating as it stared at its' new prey. Merlin froze.

"Merlin!" Arthur cried, but it was too late. The creature was half way across the clearing, vicious claws raised ready for the assault. Merlin opened his mouth to utter a spell under his breath but the beast had already reached him. It slashed across with its' talons, catching Merlin across the chest, ripping through his jacket and shirt into his skin. The manservant fell to the floor, crying out in pain as the monster reared again, lashing out at Merlin's face. Its' claws dug in deep across Merlin's right eye, leavin a bloody trail in its' wake.

There was a shout, a screech and then the sound of blood gurgling from an open wound. Merlin couldn't see anything, like someone had just put a white blindfold over his eyes and left him to try and fend himself against a lion. He felt the creature's weight slowly slip off him and heard it hit the mass of soggy leaves around him, but could barely concentrate on anything else. The pain in his chest was unbearable but the throbbing cut across his eye was something else altogether.

"Merlin!" The young warlock felt someone's hands cup the back of his head, the other at the small of his back. "Oh my -- are you okay?"

"I--" Merlin started but hissed as the pain became too much. He stared up at Arthur with blind eyes.

The prince moved to his servant's side one hand still upon his back, the other moved to the back of his knee. Merlin heard Arthur grunt and the ground rushed away from him as the prince picked him up and began crunching through the leaves.

"I," Merlin began again. "Arthur, I can't see."

Arthur said nothing and Merlin cried out again in pain as the throbbing in his head became too much. His eyes closed, and his body became limp. He slowly slipped from consciousness to the sound of Arthur's footsteps resonating against the hard, cobbled ground.

Arthur burst into Gaius' chambers carrying Merlin's limp body. The old physician leapt to his feet, the smile that was spread across his face suddenly disappearing and being replaced with a look of horror.

"W-what happened?" he managed to say, clearing a bench away as quickly as possible for Arthur to lay his nephew down upon.

"The monster," the prince managed to say. "It attacked him, across the chest and the face," he motioned to Merlin's pale and bloodied face and his ripped shirt that was sticking to the gaping wound underneath.

"Merlin," Gaius hissed to the young boy on the table, his hand resting on his knee, the other gripping the edge of the bench as to support himself.

"I should have given him some armour," Arthur growled to himself. "He always rides out to face the fiercest of foes and never has any weaponry. If he dies, it'll be my fault."

"Don't talk like that," Gaius scorned, but immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologise. Is there anything we can do?"

Gaius nodded sharply and quickly turned, picking phials and bunged tubes from the bench and laying them beside his patient. "Quickly," he told Arthur. "Remove his jacket and shirt. I'll need to apply this to the wound before it seals. It'll stop the infection spreading."

Arthur did as instructed, holding his unconscious manservant's back as he slid the bloodied brown jacket from his shoulders. Merlin was cold to the touch which worried the prince considerably. If he was this cold already, they may already be too late.

The shirt was a little harder to pull off. Merlin, even in injury, was as stubborn as ever. It seemed his arms were too long for Arthur to handle and after a few moments, the warlock's head was covered with a bundle of material, his arms in a very odd position above his head. Arthur gave a loud tut of annoyance, moved to Merlin's head and tugged the shirt over it.

Fingers covered with a green slime, the old physician leant over his nephews body and began to rub it into the bleeding wound.

"It should heal up in time. Arthur," he pointed towards a bench just behind the prince. "Could you pass me those bandages? You'll have to help me sit him up so I can wrap them around his chest."

Arthur quickly grabbed the roll of bandages and handed them to Gaius. They were coarse and thin against his fingertips. How were they so effective at keeping infection at bay?

Sitting Merlin up, Gaius expertly wrapped the material around until his chest was covered, the wounds only making a faint red stain upon them.

"What happened when the beast attacked?" Gaius asked. "I assume it was a beast?"

"Yes," Arthur nodded. "It tried to attack the guards but none of them could land a blow. It suddenly went for Merlin, I'm not really sure why. It had long claws, they were gleaming."

Gaius raised an eyebrow. "Gleaming?"  
"Yes, shimmering. As if they were wet."

"Poison," the old man hissed, looking down at the manservant's battered and scarred face.

"P-poison?" Arthur repeated. His jaw clenched tighter and he grabbed the side of the bench his servant was on. "What type?"

"I'm not sure," Gaius admitted. "But seeing as he doesn't look as if he's fitting or foaming at the mouth, I'd say it's not going to debilitate his body. Did he mention anything, anything odd before he went unconscious?"

The physician bent down lower to peer at the three long scratches across Merlin's eye, one hand gripping the wood of the bench, the other upon the warlock's chest, just to check that he was still breathing.

Arthur slowly shook his head. Merlin hadn't mentioned anything. He remembered the rain splashing down around them, and his manservant in his arms, looking at him. His eyes were darting about, obviously scared, but not once did they fix on his master.

"Yes," the prince had remembered. "Yes, he said that he couldn't see. He said he was blind."

"Ah."

"What is it?"

"The poison upon the beasts' claws must have been some kind of blinding poison. I've heard of these. There is only one type, which is lucky for Merlin."

"Well," Arthur's spirits rose. "Have you got the remedy? Can you cure him?"

"No."

"Well why not? You're _supposed _to be the court physician!"

"There is no cure for the blinding poison. Animals that contain this poison excrete it through their claws, talons, whatever weapon they might use. If they feel threatened they will lash out. Their main target is--"

"The eyes," the prince interrupted.

"Indeed."

"What does this mean for Merlin?" he asked.

"It means," Gaius looked down upon his nephew, sadness in his voice. "Merlin has little chance of retaining his sight."

- _Breaking Benjamin, Dancing With The Devil_


	7. CHAPTER 6 IN THE FADING LIGHT

**Chapter 6 - In The Fading Light**

_A situation like this should never exist,_

_So why are we out of control?_

Two eyes watched patiently in the bushes surrounding the clearing as the beast's body was dragged off into town. They blinked and then retracted.

"It seems that our plan has worked perfectly. I am sad that the beast did not kill Prince Arthur though, only wounded his manservant," Alvarr leant back against a tree and picked a speck of dirt idly from his knee.

"What fun would that be?" came a low growl from behind him. Kolan's great grey mass, rippling in the moonlight, crouched low in the undergrowth. He looked like a dragon, with the long scaly body and vicious tail, gleaming white fangs inside a large-snouted mouth that was upturned in glee. However Kolan's legs were stumpy and large footed, like a rhinoceros, and his eyes were dark, black almost, sunken into his skull, with two large horns atop his head that stuck far out and were chipped and yellowing.

"We want sport, do we not? We want to _do _the killing, not watch it from behind some trees."

"Fair enough," Alvarr raised his hands in surrender. "But now, at least, we know that our poison works. Instead of killing the enemy, we just transform them into the ally."

Kolan gave a great, throaty laugh.

"And now we shall put it to the test. In the morning the whole of Camelot shall be defenceless and we will roam through the streets like kings. No one will be able to stop us."

Even Alvarr could not stop the corners of his mouth lifting and a small chuckle escaping his lips.

"Tomorrow," he said, staring up into the black eyes of the beast. "Camelot shall be ours."

Merlin's dreams were sketches with monsters and demons. His mind seemed to be replaying the moment in this head over and over again, in slow motion, sped up, from every angle. He could see the beast, whatever it was, cut him with it's long talons as he was flung back. Nothing seemed to make sense. Merlin hadn't done anything to anger the creature, and as he watched on like a helpless bystander, saw himself being ripped apart he could hardly believe what was happening in front of him. And then he was blind again, the white sheet placed over his eyes, his chest tight, unable to breathe. He struggled against the blindfold, somehow hoping that he would be able to pull it off and that everything would be okay. Perhaps it was just one of Arthur's practical jokes, he would remove it and there would be his master standing over him, laughing heartily. But Merlin couldn't remove the white mask, it was trapping him; not just his vision but his throat, it was as if it was closing up.

The young warlock shot up, his eyes snapping open in a fit of panic but still unable to see anything. He cried out, his voice cracking with the strain, beads of sweat trickling down his pale face. It hadn't been a dream, everything that he had been thinking was real, and it had happened to him. Merlin tried to calm himself down. He shut his eyes once more, focused his mind and then his breathing. It wouldn't be any use him getting all worked up over nothing, he had to try and assess the situation as calmly and productively as he could.

When he had finally calmed down, Merlin sighed loudly. The noise seemed to echo around the space he was in, wherever that was (he assumed his chambers, but it could have been anywhere), and wondered why there was no one doting on him and telling him to settle down. His brow creased and he tried to turn his head to one side, listening out for a sound, any sound that might tell him where he was. But there was nothing, nothing out of the ordinary. There was birdsong and wind from outside, and the sound of his own heart rattling in his chest but there was nothing else. Surely if he was in the castle he would be able to hear the hustle and bustle of the court outside, or footsteps echoing around the large, stone corridors. But there was nothing. It was as if the entire castle and its grounds were completely deserted.

The manservant exhaled and placed his head in his hands. There was nothing he could do but wait, and the fact that he was blind didn't do anything to help him. He was going to have to sit there until someone came to find him. But then he stopped mid-thought, his hands hovering with some expectation over his features. He had felt something, around his eyes, something coarse and rough and tough against his fingertips. Merlin, in his excitement, began to tear at the material, all hope welling up inside of him. Perhaps the white he could see was a bandage, maybe he wasn't blind after all, after all this he could just have been over thinking things. The fabric was tougher than the warlock had been expecting and before long he was writhing around on whatever hard table he had been placed on, grabbing it around the edges and trying to rip it from his features. Objects, glass most likely, fell to the floor around him, smashing and bubbling upon the floor. Merlin cursed himself for being so clumsy and allowing this cloth to get the better of him, unable to understand why it was being so stubborn. And then it occurred to him. He almost laughed as he reached behind his head and felt the large, distinct knot that whoever had fashioned him with this headpiece had tied. The bandage fell into his hands with ease, and within moments it was off and clutched tightly in his shaking hands. He still couldn't see everything, the white light piercing his vision like just after staring into the sun on a bright day, but strange shining, fuzzy shapes clouded the otherwise pristine pale landscape.

As things started to creep back into view, Merlin gripped the sides of the table he had been placed on and watched as Gaius' chambers began to swim in front of his eyes. His vision was far from perfect, everything looking as if it had been given a lashing of white paint, but at least he could tell where he was. But there was still something wrong, there was still no background noise, nothing to tell him that Gaius was near, or anyone for that matter, and that was odd. Usually if a patient was brought in, his uncle would be working beside them until they woke up, or at least for the first twenty-four hours. As the manservant was Gaius' nephew, he would have assumed that the physician would be waiting to greet him as he awoke. Had Merlin really been out for that long? Surely he couldn't have been under the beast's poison for more than a day?

Swinging his legs tentatively over the side of the table, Merlin brought himself around and dropped noisily to the floor, his bare feet crunching painfully on the vials he had broken prior to his awakening. Quickly leaping, as if from hot coals, Merlin, leaning against the nearest wall, scanned the room for signs of life. Nothing moved, nothing stirred. Where was Gaius? It wasn't late in the day as, even though most of Merlin's vision was white, he could see the shimmering shape of the sun from the top window. Hugging his bare chest tightly (and regretting it as the sharp, painful sting of his wounds made his head spin) and decided that his first mission would be to find something to cover his top half over with. Stumbling and tripping through blindness, Merlin had hardly made it a few metres before he crashed headlong into some strange immovable object that was in the middle of the room. He frowned, peering and squinting at whatever he had banged into but he couldn't quite make it out. The shape was slightly smaller than him, standing in a position as if it was in the middle of an action but hadn't quite got there. Something small and round glinted and sparkled like a jewel suspended in mid-air.

"What on Earth…" Merlin started, rubbing at his sore eyes, trying to get them to focus on the mass in front of him. And then it hit him, like a full on collision that made him reel backwards in horror, clasping a hand to his mouth and shaking his head in mute disbelief. The still shadow, the unmoving entity standing part way through moving was Gaius. His skin was pale with an waxy quality to it. His clothes, as Merlin soon felt, were as hard as stone, his face fixed in an endless concentrated stare, eyes boggling at the still flask in his hands.

"G-Gaius?" Merlin asked his frozen uncle, unwilling to believe what was right in front of him. It couldn't be. How had this happened? Was anyone else like this? Who had done this? The young warlock span around, his eyes still streaked with white. He could do nothing but run and shout and he did exactly that, rushing into the corridor beyond the chambers and hollering for help. But no one answered, no footsteps resounded through the passage, no agitated cries of guards as they came hurtling in his direction. It was as if the entire castle had been frozen. Merlin stopped. What if the whole castle _had _been frozen? What if Gaius wasn't the only one and _he _was the one person still alive in the vicinity?

"Oh no," Merlin shook his head, unable to believe it. Had yesterday's attack on him intended to kill him, to get him out of the way of whatever plot someone might have had in mind? Or had it been some sort of ward, to keep whatever spell was freezing Gaius (and perhaps the others, if he could find anyone else) from affecting him. The warlock began to hurtle down the corridor, blinking and rubbing his eyes, trying to rid the blindness once and for all. There were dirty, great pallid spots obscuring his vision, he was crashing into walls, seething and touching the wound on his chest in agony, but he couldn't stop. He needed to find out if he could get help, or if he was alone.

"Watch it!" came a sudden shout, and Merlin was suddenly knocked off his feet by a flying mass careering down the corridor at him at great speed. His head his the floor hard, cold against his bare back and stinging with pain. He groaned loudly as whoever had pushed him over laid their hand square on his wound.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you alrigh'?"

The manservant recognised the voice; he looked up but the figure's face was horrible distorted mainly from his agitating spots but also a trio of long oozing gashes down the side of their face. "Hey!" the figure said, peering even closer into Merlin's face. "I know you! You were at the tournament yesterday!"

"Huh?" Merlin asked.

A sudden weight was lifted from his body as the girl (he could work out that much from their voice) got to her feet, and Merlin could just see between the bright spots a hand outstretching itself to help him up.

"At the tournament, yesterday," she repeated as Merlin was helped to his feet. "Woah, you alright there? You look in pretty bad shape."

"Hold on," the warlock protested. "Did you see anyone whilst you were walking through the castle? Did you see anyone that wasn't moving?"

"Wasn't moving?" the girl replied, Merlin could almost hear her stroke her chin thoughtfully. "Now that you come to mention it, yeah. I saw quite a few people doing things, but when I looked back they hadn't changed position. Thought I was going crazy myself, but -- hey, where do you think you're going?"

But Merlin had started up the corridor again, swaying a little as he went for fear of crashing into another person mascara ding as a statue.

"What's going on 'ere?" the girl called after him.

"I don't know," Merlin shouted back as he managed to find the door to Gaius' chambers and slip inside. "But come here, quickly."

The chinking of armour and padding of feet followed and the girl entered the room right behind Merlin.

"The physician, yeah?"

"Yes. Gaius."

"Hm, he looks like everyone else. He looks like he's been done over as well."

"Done over?" Merlin asked her, turning to face her, a strained expression on his face. His visitor began to meander around the room, taking her time to reach the frozen figure in the middle of the room.

"Yeah," she said. "Done over, you know, magic-ed up a treat."

"You think this was done by magic, then?"

"Well o'course! What else could've given the whole castle the shakes, eh? It's magic alright, could smell it a mile off."

Merlin sighed. That was all he needed. Some sorcerer thinking he was the best and zapping the castle into silence. Now there was just him and this strange girl who Merlin knew that he recognised but couldn't quite place the voice or the fuzzy face she held that was slowly starting to come into view.

"What's with you runnin' around like a headless chicken then? And how come you're alright whereas your Guy-az 'ere's not doing too well, and neither's the rest o' the castle, hm?"

"It's Gaius," the warlock corrected her. "And I don't know. I was attacked last night, I've been out cold for at least half a day and," he bit his lip. "And I'm not sure whether the creature that attacked me had anything to do with what's happening now."

"You reckon it was a pinch and freeze job? Hm, very tricky."

"W-what?" Merlin cried. "Look, I don't mean to be rude, I mean it's good that you're here, but who are you?"

"The name's Robin," the girl said, her figure moving a little closer to Merlin. His eyes were beginning to adjust now, and her face slowly moved into focus, it seemed to be the only thing that was making sense now around all of the fuzzy shapes and white aurora shrouding the room.

"Oh!" Merlin cried, his face splitting into a smile. The girl frowned at him expectantly. "I know you, of course I know you. You were at the tournament yesterday! You're Sir Leon's sister!"

"Yeah," Robin replied, raising an eyebrow and folding her arms across her chest defensively. "Wanna make something of it?"

_Sonic Syndicate, Denied_


End file.
